Glenart Castle

THE EARLS OF CARYSFORT WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WICKLOW, WITH 16,674 ACRES

The family of PROBY, of antiquity and distinction, came originally from Wales, and were there named Ap-Probyn; though they flourished for many ages in Huntingdonshire.

RANDOLPH PROBY, of Chester, afterwards of Brampton, Huntingdonshire, at the close of the 15th century, by his wife, Alice Bernard, had two sons,

RALPH, of Brampton, dsp;
PETER, of whom we treat.

The younger son,

SIR PETER PROBY, of Brampton, Huntingdonshire, and Swithin's Lane, London, Lord Mayor of London, 1622-23, married Elizabeth, widow of Edward Henson, of London, and daughter of John Thorowgood, had issue, with two daughters,

HENEAGE;
Emanuel;
Henry;
Edmond;
Walsingham.

The eldest son,

SIR HENEAGE PROBY (1600-67), Knight, of Elton and Rans, married Helen, daughter of Edward Allen, of Finchley, and had issue,

THOMAS;
John;
Heneage;
Elizabeth; Hellen.

Sir Heneage, High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, 1644, MP for Agmondesham, was succeeded by his eldest son,

THOMAS PROBY (1632-89), who was created a baronet in 1662, designated of Elton, Huntingdonshire.

He married Frances, daughter of Sir Thomas Cotton Bt, of Connington, Huntingdonshire, and left an only surviving daughter, Alice, who wedded Thomas Wentworth, and was mother of Thomas, Marquess of Rockingham.

Sir Thomas dying thus without male issue, the baronetcy expired, and the estates devolved upon his brother,

JOHN PROBY, at whose decease, in 1710, those estates passed to the next male heir,

WILLIAM PROBY, Governor of Fort St George, Madras, who married Henrietta, daughter of Robert Cornwall, of Borrington, Herefordshire, by whom he had a daughter, Editha, the wife of Sir John Osborne Bt, of Newtown, County Tipperary, and an only son,

JOHN PROBY, of Elton Hall,  MP for Huntingdonshire, who espoused Jane, eldest daughter of John, 1st Baron Gower, and had issue,

JOHN, his successor;
William;
Thomas, killed at the attack of Fort Ticonderoga, 1756;
Charles, captain RN;
Baptist (Very Rev), Dean of Lichfield;
Caroline.

Mr Proby was succeeded by his eldest son, 

THE RT HON SIR JOHN PROBY KB (1720-72), MP for Huntingdonshire, and one of the Lords of the Admiralty in 1757, who was elevated to the peerage, in 1752, in the dignity of Baron Carysfort, of Carysfort, County Wicklow.

His lordship wedded, in 1750, Elizabeth, daughter of John, 2nd Viscount Allen, and co-heir of her brother John, 3rd Viscount, and had issue,

JOHN JOSHUA, 2nd Baron (1751-1828), KP, who was created, in 1789, EARL OF CARYSFORT.

His lordship was appointed a Knight of St Patrick in 1784.

He espoused, in 1774, Elizabeth, only daughter of the Rt Hon Sir William Osborne Bt, of Newtown, County Tipperary, and had issue,

William Allen, Lord Proby (1779-1804); Captain, RN;
JOHN, 2nd Earl;
GRANVILLE LEVESON, 3rd Earl;
Gertrude.

His lordship espoused secondly, in 1787, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rt Hon George Grenville, and sister of George, 1st Marquess of Buckingham, and left by that lady at his decease, in 1828, a son and three daughters, viz.

George;
Charlotte; Frances; Elizabeth.

He was succeeded by his eldest son,

JOHN, 2nd Earl (1780-1855), a general in the army, who died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother,

GRANVILLE LEVESON, 3rd Earl (1782-1858), Admiral in the Royal Navy, High Sheriff of County Wicklow, 1831, who married, in 1818, Isabella, daughter of the Hon Hugh Howard, and had issue,

John Joshua, Lord Proby (1823-58);
GRANVILLE LEVESON, 4th Earl;
Hugh (1826-52);
WILLIAM, 5th Earl;
Theodosia Gertrude; Frances; Isabella; Elizabeth Emma.

His lordship was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

GRANVILLLE LEVESON, 4th Earl (1824-72), KP, who wedded, in 1853, the Lady Augusta Maria Hare, daughter of WILLIAM, 2ND EARL OF LISTOWEL, though the marriage was without issue, and his lordship was succeeded by his brother,

WILLIAM, 5th Earl (1836-1909), KP, High Sheriff of County Wicklow, 1866, Lord-Lieutenant of County Wicklow, 1890-1909, who espoused, in 1860, Charlotte Mary, daughter of the Rev Robert Boothby Heathcote, though the marriage was without issue.

On the 5th Earl's decease, all the titles expired.

GLENART CASTLE, near Arklow, County Wicklow, was originally a hunting lodge of ca 1750, enlarged in the castellated style during the early 1800s by John Proby, 1st Earl of Carysfort.

It was known for a while as Kilcarra Castle.

Between 1177 and 1185, large quantities of land were granted by Prince John acting on behalf of his father, HENRY II, to Theobald Walter from whom were descended the Butler Family and the Earls of Ormonde.

The Butlers held their possession in this area for the next 500 years.

Glenart was enlarged again in 1869.

It is a fairly austere structure, mainly two-storey, though partly of three storeys dominated by a square, battlemented tower.

There are large rectangular windows with hood mouldings, three-sided bows and a battlemented parapet.

The Castle was partially burnt in 1920, though the remaining half continued to be inhabited by the family as an occasional residence until it was sold during the 2nd World War to a religious order, which rebuilt it in an institutional style. 

Other seat ~ Elton Hall, Peterborough.
Former London houses ~ 11 Lower Berkeley Street; 18 Ely Place.

First published in May, 2012.